


Dreaming of Colthersea

by One_Real_Imonkey



Series: The Colthersea Series. [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Post-Season/Series 03, Pre-Season/Series 04, round table
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2020-07-30 13:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20097862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/One_Real_Imonkey/pseuds/One_Real_Imonkey
Summary: They're back in Camelot, but there is a new threat. People are getting violent and worse, memories are beginning to stir.For the most part, the missing days are still missing, but Merlin... Merlin is Dreaming of Colthersea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer I don't own.  
Sorry it took so long. Hope you all enjoy.

Gaius was relieved enough at the news of the Hunting party’s return that he didn’t immediately worry about why they needed him. Of course, as a physician, he had to think logically about situations and they would not be bringing him the news unless someone was injured, so he was ready by the time they brought his ward to him bloodied and bruised and chilly to the touch.

It didn’t take long to determine that while Merlin was injured, weak and not actually conscious, it was not serious and, given time, he would make a full recovery.

He did his best not to react to the story, but hearing his nephew had nearly drowned shook him.

He placed each wound with the place it was received in the story, finding no stray injuries that could not be accounted for or evidence from anything that had occurred in the two missing days. He was not massively dehydrated or malnourished like he should have been had he slept through those days without food or water.

It was concerning, on many levels.

The basic idea of a sorcerer and their workers having a group of knights could be disastrous.

It was worse when one was the Prince.

Worse again when another was Emrys, and any powerful sorcerer could have known it.

Once he’d made sure none of Merlin’s injuries were serious, he checked over all the other Knights and Guinevere. They’d also borne no sign of any mistreatment either.  Gwaine had recovered from his dip into the seawater by the time they had made it back to the city but he had a nasty concussion and Gaius wanted to keep an eye on it.

None of the others had been more than bruised.

He cleared the Prince, the Knights and Guinevere for duty, asking her to find out who Merlin’s temporary replacement was and to tell them they were going to be working for the Prince for a few weeks. The rest of the Knights had work to do and  Gwaine had followed them to the meeting, even if he would not be going with them to find their attacker.

The bruising and scrapes would clear up quickly, the broken rib, wrist and no longer dislocated shoulder would take longer. They were lucky Percival had relocated it as quickly as he had, having done so almost immediately after they pulled him out.

Gaius dabbed some ointment onto the scrapes on Merlin’s stomach. They were most likely caused when they pulled him from the hole he was in, to the shame of his friends.

He then re-wrapped Merlin in blankets, happy the boy was now producing enough body heat to warm himself, before sinking into the seat next to him.

“Oh, my poor boy, why is it always you?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Some chapters will be shorter, some will be longer. Updates are on Saturdays.

Arthur woke blearily, wondering what was happening for all of a second before he remembered.

Merlin injured was injured, and that meant, oh no...

Replacement!

Please don’t be George. Please don’t be George.

“Good morning, M’Lord.”

Oh, thank God! George had replaced Merlin when he’d been injured or visiting home once or twice. The man was efficient, but also a complete kissass. He'd probably lick Arthur’s boots clean if asked.

He cracked his eyes open, seeing the large meal prepared for him and new servant standing next to it.

He had dull, muddy hair and looked a few years younger than Merlin. He also looked nervous as hell, shaking slightly and biting his lip, evidently waiting for a response.

“Yes, uuhh, thank you... Uhhh?”

“Oh, Hefin, M’lord.”

Hefin stood back allowing him to sit up so he could eat and then turning to get Arthurs clothes ready for the day. 

It was way more food than he was used to.

He cursed his issues with coherency in the morning, and why it was bed based. He never had any issue waking up quickly in the wild, but in bed, oh, he took an age to actually ‘be’ awake. Merlin teased him endlessly for it.

Merlin.

He sighed, not caring that Hefin was in the room. Hefin was a typical servant, he didn’t ask questions, or think about what his master did.

It would be weeks before he could get Merlin back, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could cope.

There had been a time when he’d loved to push around the lower class, when he’d loved being waited on hand and foot. That was years past, though.

At least he wasn’t about to be subjected to jokes about Brass this time.

.

.

.

Gwaine appreciated the days off. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy training, he actually enjoyed it immensely, if for no reason but having friends and getting to work through anything annoying him, but his head wasn’t doing its best to stay focussed.

This time off was a series of pros and cons though.

Con- his head was sore. 

Pro- he didn’t have to over exert his sore head.

Con- he wasn’t allowed any alcohol.

Pro- he could spend time with Merlin.

Con- Merlin was also injured.

Pro- injured Merlin was cuddly.

The sequence continued in a similar pattern.

Gaius was keeping him for his concussion, and his head  _ was _ sore, but he was sure he’d had worse. He remembered his friends' expressions when Gaius had decreed him unable to work for a few days due to it and realised they’d forgotten, not that he blamed them with everything that had been happening. The old physician had berated them for letting him sleep saying it was lucky he was awake at all. The enjoyment of their guilt faded quickly.

He hadn’t forgotten, just ignored it. He'd been close to forgetting when he was panicking over Merlin nearly drowning, and he supposed they had too. He'd washed off a lot of the blood when he’d dived into the salt water, but that was part of the reason he’d not been able to forget.

Salt on a wound was no joke.

Or rather it was, but not when it happened in real life. 

On top of that the salty water did nothing to help the cleanliness of the wound and leaving it untreated made infection a high risk, so, aside from the meeting, he wasn’t going to be leaving until they were sure he wasn’t going to die or something.

Heh, more time with cuddly Merlin was no problem in his book.

Merlin wasn’t exactly cuddling at the moment, because he was still asleep, but he was in Gwaine’s arms and that was enough. He'd woken up a few hours before, if only for a moment, before fisting his hand into Gwaine’s shirt and curling into him under the blanket. No-one was likely to see them save Gaius, they were up in Merlin’s room, on his small bed. Small, but big enough for them both to lie together.

He had to be careful not to aggravate any of Merlin’s far too numerous wounds, not his shoulder, not his wrist, not his rib, not him.

There was good news though, according to Gaius.

Gaius had said Merlin was no longer at risk and that this was a natural sleep not an exhaustion induced one. Before he was asleep because his body couldn’t handle awake. This was asleep because he was tired.

He wasn’t sure he really got the difference, but it did sound like a good thing.

Merlin was also on infection watch, and pneumonia watch, and a lot of other watches, but he was recovering.

So, he thought letting his eyes fall shut, maybe they could have some peace for a while and actually rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, polls are closed.  
Also, please R+R. They fuel the third book.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't own.  
Short chapter again but we're getting there.

_ “What the hell was that?” _

_ “I... I don’t know. Please...”  _

_ “You deserve death for what you are!” _

_ An axe fell. _

_ Fire and water collided. _

_ Screams echoed in the darkness. _

.

.

.

Merlin gasped awake, restricted and in pain.

His magic shot outwards, trying to assess the situation, and he relaxed the information came back, coupled with the rest of the things he started to take in.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, you’re safe, Merlin, we’re home.”

It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare.

He relaxed into the embrace, realising the restriction had been the Knight’s arms. He drew the magical search back in, ignoring it. He was safe.

“Merls, you with me, love?”

“ye... yeah. Morning, Gwaine.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah... just a nightmare.”

“Guess it was too much for me to hope you’d get a lovely dream?”

“Can’t this just be a lovely dream?”

“No lovely dream of mine includes you with broken bones. You're usually incapacitated a little differently in my...”

“Gwaine!"

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding.”

“Sure.”

“Also, it’s mid-afternoon.”

“Ughh.”

He let his head rest on Gwaine’s chest, heartbeat clear through the shirt. One of Gwaine’s hands was threading through his hair, the other rested securely on his side. It was calming.

“You think we should, you know, tell them at some point?”

“What? About us? Nah, the whole brotherhood already pretty much worked it out anyway, save the princess, who hasn’t a clue.”

Merlin chucked. Gwaine was right. While no-one other than Lancelot had said anything, it was obvious by their actions that Leon, Percival and Elyan all at least suspected something between them. Gwen also at least suspected at most knew, but she wasn’t going to say anything. She was far too nice for that. Gaius knew, of course, but he was Gaius.

Arthur suspected nothing, but then again, he probably didn’t want to. He saw Merlin as, well, Merlin. Merlin didn’t ‘have dalliances’ as far as Arthur knew. He didn’t have time to meet anyone and he never mentioned it. It was like his magic. He'd never suspect it because it wasn't how he perceived Merlin.

Part of Merlin couldn’t wait to see his face when he found out. 

The courting Gwaine thing, not the magic.

“You want to talk about the dream?”

“No. Nothing noteworthy. It was the typical execution dream, I think.” 

Gwiane flinched beneath him and he almost regretted answering, but he didn’t like lying to Gwiane and for all that Gwaine could do nothing to stop the dreams or change them, he could comfort after. Merlin had at first not wanted to burden Gwaine with these specific dreams. Gwaine wasn’t stupid though and it had all come out eventually. Fear of execution, of being killed for something he didn’t choose. Those nightmares were common.

He didn’t regret telling Gwaine when the arms holding him circled a little tighter.

It was just a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please R+R.  
Polls are closed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own.

Percival was glad when Gwaine re-joined them in training. He'd really missed his brother in arms. Sometimes the noble born Knights were a nightmare, well, frequently the noble born knights were a nightmare, but Gwiane had a way of defusing it. With Lancelot, who was one of his best friends, Leon, who wasn’t as stuffy as the others and refused to believe that being common made them worse and Elyan, who was one of the best swords in the fields, he was hardly alone. 

But Gwaine could defuse tension and keep people civil in a way none of the others could.

Or failing that he’d win the fight and humiliate them which usually shut them up for a while.

Gwaine still had a hefty sized bruise on the side of his face, but coupled with the grin and cocky swagger, no-one but the few who’d been there when he was injured thought much off it. Wrong side of the wrong barstool, they’d say, wrong place, wrong time, wrong drink.

He winced when he saw it. Winced because he remembered the force of the hit. Winced because he hated that people passed Gwaine off as nothing more than a drunkard when he’d been fighting for Merlin. Winced because in their panic over Merlin they’d forgotten how serious that blow had been.

How heavily Gwaine had dropped.

The hilt of the blade had cracked into his head. It had echoed. Half of Gwaine’s body had twisted with the force from it.

He needed to apologise.

He was ashamed he hadn’t already.

They'd been busy following their capture. Arthur had sent them with a large contingent of Knights but the castle had been shrouded in sorcery and none had been able to find it. Runes were carved onto trees and into rocks surrounding the area. They couldn’t pass, they were turned away every time, no matter how straight the path they took had been.

They'd been forced to return in defeat.

Since then it had been patrols and training and patrols and training and more of both. Gwaine, who’d been nestled with Merlin in the Phyicians Quarters, had been too far out of his way to see. He'd been tempted to throw a fight and get a few bruises to get sent up to see them, but eventually decided against it.

He knew Lancelot felt the same. He was sure Arthur, Leon and Elyan probably did as well.

“Gwaine.”

“Hey Perce, your last fight was brilliant. I think our new Sir Rhydian wanted to cry when he saw who he’d be fighting, and it only got worse from there.”

The two were seated at the edge of the training arena both between fights. Gwaine was right, Sir Rhydian had let his fear rule him. Why did everyone believe he was dangerous? Because he was tall? And well built? And strong? It changed nothing about his personality. 

“Gwaine, I wanted to apologise. I knew you were injured but I didn't help you, or treat the wound.”

“No, but nor did I bring it up. Merlin was more important anyway. I didn’t bring it up, and we both know I can complain up a storm when I want to.”

“As your friend I should have done more.”

“As my friend you did enough, Perce. I know you were watching and checking on me. Not to mention you carried Merlin for miles.”

“Can I ask something?”

“Course?"

“You, and Merlin, you’re... courting?"

“Doing our damnedest."

Gwaine’s grin was bright.

“Damnedest? You make it sound like there are masses of problems, but I've never seen you anything but happy together."

“Not like that. But, when we started, I was officially banished from Camelot, and Merlin couldn’t really leave. He... I lived everywhere and nowhere, I didn't want to put him through that when he had a home and a family. Not for me. Not when I was sure I'd lose him or he’d leave like everyone else in my life. I loved him but we... we just couldn't be together. We sent messages, I made sure he knew where I was and where I planned on going. We arranged to meet up in border towns and things like that. I was always sure one day it would stop. He'd decide I wasn’t worth the effort. But he didn’t. And then Morgana attacked and I was allowed to stay and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me, even if we keep it a secret. All of this, actually. I don’t remember ever having anything like this in life before.”

“You’re scared of losing what you have?”

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t easier when I had nothing to lose. But this is worth the effort. We’re not conventional, and we work stupid hours with dangerous jobs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I couldn’t go back to what I had before, it wasn’t living.”

“And Arthur has no idea?”

“Not that I know of. He's a little oblivious in that respect.”

Percival found himself laughing through his nose. He'd suspected for a while that Merlin and Gwaine had something going on but this wasn’t just confirmation, this opened up so much more. Gwaine, for all that he never seemed to be quiet, actually shared very little. Percival was honoured to be trusted enough to know this.

“I have another question.”

“Which is?”

“Did you steal a knife from that fortress?”

Gwaine’s laughter put a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please R+R.  
Hope you enjoy the fluff while it's fluff, because no story can go on sweet friendship alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Another short chapter. I swear they'll get longer.

Three weeks passed quickly.

Merlin was recovering well and Lancelot was glad to hear it. Merlin was small and unarmoured and far too vital to their working well together to be injured for a long time. 

He'd brought them together.

More than that Merlin was one of his best friends.

Camelot was almost back to normal. Gwiane was back as a knight, Arthur was in position as Regent, no wars loomed on the horizon and Morgana wasn’t leading any sort of attack. Once Merlin was back on his feet and keeping Arthur in line, everything would be good.

Yelling drew his focus from his thoughts.

In the centre of the market place two men were arguing loudly, although over what he couldn't tell.

He decided to keep an eye on it, in case he needed to intervene.

He was glad he did, because not long after he stopped, the first punch was thrown. It took him very little time to get to the fight, but it was time enough for a lot of damage to be done. He'd never seen people fight like that before.

They were tearing at each other brutally, clawing and biting and pulling at each other, desperate for violence. It took him the help of three other Knights and several minutes to stop them. He ended up scraped up and he had a bite from one of the men on his wrist.

The two were taken down to the cells to be kept until whatever this was wore off. They were fighting their guards the whole way.

There were several more fights that day, the most notable being between Sir Rhydian and Sir Percival. They'd been sparing when Rhydian had just... lost his mind. Every fight before then the Knight had been hindered by his fear of his friend's height and muscle mass. Even in this one, he had been. 

Rhydian was honourable.

This fighting was nothing of the sort. 

It'd taken Leon, Galahad, Arthur and himself to pull the man off a stunned and bruised Percival.

Lancelot didn’t think much about these fights though. They were just fights, tensions were high, winter was fast approaching. Trades gone wrong and other issues could amount to some fighting. Sir Rhydian was new and frequently being beaten, perhaps it was just anger.

No reason to be worried.

No reason for him to question anything.

So, he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.  
Ohhh Lancelot you should know to question everything.   
Please R+R. Feedback fuels book 3.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.

_ “Actually, I am a Dragonlord.” _

_ “Y... you’re what?” _

_ “A dragonlord.” _

_ “He called you Fireheart?” _

_ “It’s another term for it. We’re also called Draconians, but there are some differences between being a Draconian and a Dragonlord.”  _

_ “Why would you... why chose something so dangerous? And in Camelot?” _

_ “I am what I was born to be. It's in my blood. There is no choice in being a Draconian. You are, or you are not. I never had a choice.” _

.

.

.

Merlin brushed a spider off the book before handing it over, sighing slightly. Three fights since the dawn broke and six the day before was not normal.

Not to mention these weird nightmares that had been plaguing him for weeks. He could never quite remember them fully when he woke, but he was getting more and more every night. It wasn’t the usual executions dream, like he’d told Gwaine originally. There was more to it. There was something about them that was...

A spider.

Merlin looked down, realised it had scurried off, then went over to the bookshelves and riffled through, ending up on the tome on magical creatures he’d finished and put back three days prior, all thoughts of dreams gone from his mind.

“Gaius, what if these fights aren’t normal.”

“They certainly aren’t normal, Merlin, but I assume that’s not quite what you meant.”

“I was re-reading this the other day, and I remember something like this, a creature that amplifies violent and angry thoughts by biting them. A spider. It’s a... uhh.”

He found the right page as Gaius finished his sentence.

“A drest.”

“We could check all the people who’ve been fighting for bite marks. If they have them, then we may be right?”

“Merlin, it takes a few days for the venom to activate, half the city could be infected.”

“We check everyone then, without starting a panic. We... uhhh ...how do we do that?”

.

.

.

Gwaine was not sure what was going on. He'd come to ask Merlin if he wanted to get lunch and been drawn into whatever this was. Gaius and Merlin split off. Gaius went to inform Arthur of the situation, in some way or another, he hadn’t been clear on what the situation was before running off.

Merlin had to check all the people who’d ‘attacked already’, apparently that was important. There were almost 30 people who had ‘potentially been infected’. Infected with what, no one had told him.

Gwaine still went with him, not willing to let him be in danger alone.

It wasn’t quite a disaster.

They'd needed several guards to hold down some of the men and women to be examined, but the examinations had proved good, or bad, or something.

Either way, Merlin had found what he was looking for on 24 of them. The other 6, he said, were probably defending themselves from the others who had been attacking due to the... way they were dressed?

He wondered if he should mention to Merlin that he had no idea what he was talking about.

And they were off again.

If he had to guess, from what he’d heard, some creature was making people attack other people. It might have something to do with fasion sense, but that might have been something he misheard.

What a weird lunch this was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things look to be falling into place. Clues are coming together.   
Please R+R.  
I swear the chapters get longer at some point.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Sorry this is a few days late. Hope you enjoy though.

Leon ended up at the Physicians chambers for several reasons.

A decree had been issued to inform everyone an insect had entered the city in crops or clothing with a poisonous bite, it wasn't dangerous if it was treated, but everyone who had a bite mark should go.

He had no bite marks himself, that was not his reasoning.

No, he went for three reasons.

1) He didn’t like doing nothing when he could lend a hand.

2) There would be a lot of people and people do stupid things when they’re desperate, so damage control may be in order.

3) He was curious. Something didn’t quite add up, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

He was right about his second point though; the area was teeming with people. Both Merlin and Gaius were sitting with people, wrapping their bites and marking things down.

“Can I be of assistance, Gaius?”

“Sir Leon? Well, we are running low on ground Hazel, if you wouldn’t mind grinding some up. We need it for the tincture.”

“It’s no problem.”

It wasn’t a problem. He found the items he needed quickly and positioned himself near enough to help should something go wrong, but also out of the way of the people being treated.

His timing had been fortunate, in that he could make sure they had enough to do their work.

It was also fortunate when Merlin dealt with the next person in his queue.

The man was well built, a carpenter, if he remembered correctly, although Leon could not remember the man's name. He unsettled Leon from the start, especially considering Merlin was still injured. Something in his eyes, his expression, his posture.

“Can’t you ‘urry it up?”

“I’m sorry, Sir, we’re going as fast as we can.”

Leon’s eyes were drawn with his attention to the conversation.

“Do you know ‘ow long I had to wait in that queue, all for some stupid bite. I bet I ain’t even got it. Wastin' my time.”

“We need to be sure. I'm sorry this is taking too long, please, if you’ll take a seat we can finish quickly and you can be on your way.”

The man lunged, catching Merlin by the throat and forcing him backwards. They were both sent backwards and crashed into a pile of books, toppling it on top of them.

Leon had him out cold three seconds later.

“Merlin, are you alright?”

“Gah... yeah.”

The servant rubbed his head with his unbroken wrist, gasping quietly, before he pulled himself from the pile of books and checked the man over, apparently finding whatever he was looking for on his neck.

“Gaius, we’ve got another one.”

“Wait, this is what the bites doing?”

“It causes aggression and anger and other fun negative emotions,” the manservant joked.

“Sir Rhydian?”

“Probably. We already checked everyone in the dungeons, they’re all bitten.”

He hadn’t realised Gwen had entered until she interrupted with, “I can take over for a while if you want to take a break Merlin, you’re still injured, and that has to have hurt.”

Before Merlin could answer Leon decided for him, “Thank you Guinevere. I’ll take Merlin to eat something, because I'm willing to bet he hasn’t yet today, and we’ll be back in a bit. I'll also send some guards for this man.”

It was a subtle way to pull rank, but he knew Merlin wouldn’t argue with it, and he needed answers.

.

.

.

“So, what is it really?”

They'd gone to a quiet area that Arthur had delegated for members of the Round Table to use if necessary.

“How would I know?”

“Merlin, I'm not as stupid as some people seem to think and neither are you. I know you have people around the city feeding you information on threats, I know you sometimes handle those threats, I know you always carry a knife and that you know how to use it. I know Gaius had been training you to take over his job as Magical advisor. I know the both of you have definitely taken out threats without us knowing, like the troll. You defiantly had something to do with stopping the troll. I don’t know how you do it, but I'm glad you do. I know you know what this is.”

“A Drest, or Drust, depending on the translation. In short, it’s a magical spider whose bite amplifies negative energies around it, used by members of the Old Religion to cause chaos in their enemies' bases. They can also eat their victims, that’s what the salve and tinctures are for. They should stop the Drest going back to them to feed.”

“And we have one.”

“You hadn’t noticed the sudden increase in violent acts and arguments in the last two days.”

He had noticed.

“You think there’s an attack imminent?”

“I’m not sure. The people who knew how to use these are few and far between, and I've heard nothing to suggest any sort of attack, when I usually have more warning than this. Something's coming, but I don’t think it’s a siege.”

“If you had to guess?”

“Aren’t you the one who’s meant to know this stuff?”

“I don’t know this, and you do, I think. I have paid attention to you, you're far too close to the prince for me not to. I know you plan to tackle this, like most magical threats, because that’s what Gaius is training you to do. If nothing else, you shouldn’t have to do this alone.”

“You remember when Sigan attacked?”

“...yes?”

“Cedric wasn’t trying to release Sigan, he just wanted the money in the unearthed vault. You get close to the prince, you get access to this stuff, so that’s what he did. Sigan was an accident.”

“What are you saying?”

“I suspect theft. There are a lot of important and expensive things in Camelot’s vaults.”

“Theft? Surely this is too much.”

“If you’re stealing something big, you make a large distraction.”

“How do we stop it, this dressed?”

“Drest. And fire.”

They finished their meal and Leon returned with Merlin, getting some guards to help with making sure there was no repeat of what had happened before.

.

.

.

Leon was late to join them, Elyan noticed.

Percival, Lancelot and Gwaine had all arrived in varying amounts of time before or on the usual meeting time, but Leon had ruched in uncharacteristically late.

The five Knights always met on a Friday night to relax and talk. Sometimes to drink too. They alternated whose room they were in and this Friday, it was his.

“You’re late, Mate, all good?”

“I’ve been helping Merlin, Gaius and Gwen.”

“With the bites thing, what’s with that? Merlin was too busy running around to actually tell me anything.”

Leon sighed, sat down and explained what he knew about the creature. 

Percival shuddered, “I hate spiders.”

That sparked a bout of laughter and the room relaxed.

“Did you know Gaius is training Merlin to follow him as Magical Advisor?”

Leon’s question was out of the blue and unnerving. Merlin, magic?

“Magical what?”

“I hope you’re not trying to imply...”

“No, god no! Not Merlin. No. Magical advisor. If there’s a magical threat, Gaius is the one who advises on what to do. What it is, how to kill it, etc. He’s training Merlin to do that too.”

“I suppose it’s a good thing.”

He looked sharply at Lancelot, knowing he wasn’t the only one to do so.

“Good thing?”

“Well, if something should happen to Gaius, heaven forbid, we need someone to know. And we can trust Merlin.”

“I don’t like it, exposing him to all these things. I read the titles of some of the books he has in there, books I'd bet my wages he’s had to read. They're things like, ‘a hundred curses to place on your enemies’ and ‘how to control peoples minds’. It's awful.”

“You think Merlin’s gonna go dark on us? My friend, you must be joking.”

“I think Merlin’s already scared enough of magic without all of that. Any time anyone mentions magic he twitches slightly, it scares him. Reading about the evils magic can do won’t help that. Neither will his being on the front lines in stopping magical attacks, because he is, and will be more so if he does take that role.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s so scared. Because he’s read all these books. He's just the one to know what's out there, more than any of us.”

“So, we protect him, right? We make sure magic users never get him.”

Elyan swore it with his brothers in arms. Merlin was the groups youngest, and they couldn’t let anything happen to him. 

“We should also swear that if Merlin thinks something is wrong, like magically, we should listen?”

“I’m lost? Wrong magically?”

“Yeah, El, for example, if we go somewhere, and Merlin says, ‘I know this place, it’s the Temple of whatever, it’s said to be cursed’ we agree that going in is a bad idea and move on.”

Leon snorted, “Absolutely, too many times have people ignored Gaius or Merlin and then been hurt for it. I think it got Arthur shot once.”

“Damn, I agree then.”

“You know,” he started, “we really need to stop accidently implying that Merlin has magic.”

“We do.” Leon agreed, “God, I just thought about it and it makes me shudder.”

“Thought about what, Merlin with magic. Don't. It could never happen, Merlin’s way to kind.”

“Exactly, but if there was some threat and the only way to stop it was magical, you know he'd be the one to sacrifice himself without thinking, not caring about the dangers it would pose. And the idea of it corrupting him...”

“I don’t think it could.”

“Gwaine, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Come on Leon, it’s Merlin. The evil would walk up to his soul and he’d go, not today, and kick it out again.”

“You know that’s not how it works.”

“So, we protect him from that too. Evil magic, the evil of magic and evil magic monsters.”

“Easy.”

“Don’t tell him though.”

“No?”

“If it’s his job to tell us then he’ll see it as his job to protect us, right? So, he’ll be offended if we do his job.”

“His job is to tell us what it is and how to fight it. Our job is to fight it. Hopefully, he won’t get close.”

“Gwaine doesn’t want Merlin near anything dangerous. I wonder why?”

“Oh, shut up El, unless of course you want to talk about your one day becoming Arthurs brother-in-law.”

They moved onto lighter topics for the rest of the evening, but the thought lingered.

Elyan fell asleep thinking of the evils of magic slipping into his friend's soul, corrupting it. Twisting everything about him until he wasn’t their Merlin anymore. He was sure he wasn’t the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you there would be a longer chapter soon.  
The plot thickens. Things are falling into place.  
Please R+R.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Ok, sorry for the wait, but this story will be a Sunday update from now on, not a Saturday one. Hope you enjoy.

Arthur wanted to scream. Loudly.

Despite the efforts of Gaius, Gwen and Merlin, the arguments and violence had increased by the next day. The Knights of the Round Table were having to keep a permanent eye on the Physicians Quarters as their work to reduce the issue continued. 

By lunch each of them had a Knight assigned to them to step in and stop attacks. Their supplies began to dwindle and time was then wasted finding more. 

Arthur vowed all his Knights would receive training in herb-lore when this crisis had passed. If Merlin and Gaius needed herbs, then it shouldn’t have to be them going into the woods to get them. It was impractical, especially with Merlin not fully recovered and Gaius needed for other injuries as well.

It was also dangerous, he realised, sending someone unarmed into the woods alone.

He cursed the purge for all the innocent healers who’d died because people feared their science was too close to magic. How was he meant to run a kingdom with so few medically inclined?

There were a few other healers who had come forwards to lend a hand, Arthur was in the process of setting up an area for the better treatment of the epidemic away from the Physicians Quarters. It needed to be larger to accommodate more.

It had been disheartening to realise the epidemic was too large for Gaius usual work area, that meant it was serious. 

Then there were the bodies being found. They'd been missed at first, because they were in people's homes, but they were appearing now and they looked part eaten. It was horrific to see. Whatever had attacked hadn’t been large, there weren’t bite marks in that way, but the flesh was stripped to the bone in several areas on each of the five bodies found so far.

More than that, Merlin would’ve been able to start taking some of his usual duties again but this became the priority and he didn’t. Arthur was stuck with Hefin for who knows how much longer? It wasn’t that Hefin wasn’t efficient, he was, but he wasn’t Merlin.

He needed someone to vent to.

He also knew that Gaius wasn’t telling him everything when he’d told him of the threat.

Potentially poisonous spiders making people fight was the story he was told, but he suspected magic.

A poison making people aggressive to one another and starting arguments? Unlikely.

A magical creature spreading discontent? Much more likely.

A magical creature that was also eating people? Absolutely.

And Gaius and Merlin knew it.

He cursed that magic would never give him peace. Why did Camelot suffer so many attacks? 

A knock at the door announced Hefin with his lunch and a new stack of papers to look through for Kingdom Management.

It would be a long long long long long day.

.

.

.

Hefin was pissed off. 

How long was this damned mission going to take?

His master had bidden him release the Drust into Camelot and wait until they took full effect. Then, once the rioting had started, get into the vaults and steal the Ben-Varrey Diadem.

No riots, however, had been reported.

He was running out of time. The Prince would soon have his real Manservant back and his position would be lost. He needed a position in the castle to get into the vaults, not to be the prince’s Manservant but he couldn’t get into the vaults until the riots started. Merlin was a block in his plan, according to his master. He needed that idiot out of the way.

Actually, that could be an idea. 

And a hunt for a murderer would most certainly raise tensions.

He sank onto his bunk and pulled out a whetstone to begin sharpening his knives. 

If this was going to be a long, drawn-out plan, he deserved a little fun in the meantime.

If he could get permission from his master that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one again :-) These were cut to size based on plot not length.  
Please R+R.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Hope you enjoy.

“Sire?”

Arthur turned to see Leon jogging towards him.

“Sir Leon?”

“We need to post guards on the healers.”

“I thought we already did?”

“We posted guards on them while they're working but it needs to be all day and night.”

“What happened?”

If Leon was saying it with this sort of conviction, there would be a reason.

“Two of the healers working on this were found dead this morning.”

He stopped.

“Dead, like some of the other victims or dead murdered?”

“Murdered. They were stabbed. It might be someone infected.”

“Or it might be the person infecting people, if someone released this.”

“It has the potential to cause chaos. If we didn’t have the people we do, this could be a very different situation.”

They both knew what he was referring to. If they didn’t have Gaius who identified the contagion and found the cure the city would be aflame.

“Do it, and keep people we trust with Gaius, Merlin and Gwen.”

“Yes sire.”

Arthur watched him leave before returning to his route.

He cursed this new development.

Maybe it was unrelated. They'd failed to help someone and now that person had taken revenge. It was a random attack. 

He didn’t believe that though.

This person was the same who released this curse.

.

.

.

Merlin thanked Hefin for the lunch he’d brought.

The Round Table were meeting to discuss what was going on in the Kingdom, amongst other things, over lunch. Merlin was also pretty sure Arthur was trying to get away from the stuffy councilmen who were clammering for him to change this and change that just to benefit them.

He was quite enjoying the break.

Dealing with this proved far more difficult than he’d thought it would be. New cases kept emerging; the cure had to be reapplied repeatedly and the threat of attack was looming over him. For three days the Knights hadn't left his side. He'd had Percival or Lancelot or Elyan or Gwaine or Leon at all times. If not one of them then it was Sir Kay or Geraint or Cador.

People he knew Leon and Arthur trusted.

Still, being watched all day every day was putting him on edge. It was messing with his senses, this paranoia, and it was really putting him off.

Gaius and Gwen were also under watch, the same group of Knights. It was easy to see Arthur was watching the people he cared about. It was easy to see his worry, leaking through his calm façade.

Merlin wished he could do more to help Arthur, if only by giving him someone to talk to. This was actually the first time they’d seen each other in just over a week.

“Are we any closer to catching the thing that’s doing this? Or the person behind it?”

“I’m sorry, Sire, but no. I wish we did. The spider is proving illusive, but searching for one spider in the whole of Camelot isn’t an easy task. As for the person behind it, we can’t do much more than keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour.”

“I understand. We must...”

Merlin lost track of the conversation. Gwen was looking far too pale.

He couldn’t move fast enough to get to her before she collapsed.

.

.

.

Arthur wanted one nice lunch. One meeting with his friends where nothing bad happened. He wanted Merlin and Gaius and Gwen to take a break.

“Are we any closer to catching the thing that’s doing this? Or the person behind it?”

“I’m sorry, Sire, but no. I wish we did. The spider is proving illusive, but searching for one spider in the whole of Camelot isn’t an easy task. As for the person behind it, we can’t do much more than keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour.”

“I understand. We must keep searching and we must find th...”

He tailed off after he looked at Merlin, before following his gaze to Gwen.

“Gwen!”

Her eyes had glazed over and as he stopped, she slumped off the chair onto the floor, breath stuttering. 

“Guinevere!”

Gauis and Merlin darted to her, reminding Arthur that Merlin was smarter than he seemed.

“Did anyone else eat anything yet?”

It was an odd question but they all responded in the negative.

“This is poison, but an easy one to treat, we think.”

Gwen had probably decided to forgo eating in favour of helping these past few days, and had finally given into hunger and delved straight in.

A little under an hour later Gaius informed them that they were lucky and that the poison used was indeed common and easy to deal with. The antidote was one he had on stock.

They'd also managed to confirm the poison was on the plates brought for Gaius and Merlin as well. 

Their killer had made another attempt, and this one had very nearly been a disaster. 

This could help them though. If they could find out who had access to the food, they could find out who did all of this.

If not for Gwen lying unconscious and pale, he’d call it a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another longer chapter, woohoo.   
Hope you enjoyed, please R+R.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.

_ “I can’t kill you.” _

_ “Why not?” _

_ “I think you know.” _

_ There was another flash of fire.  _

_ Screams echoed. Familiar screams. _

_ “You are the last. With your death, the war is won! But I can’t kill you.” _

.

.

.

Gwen woke exhausted.

Her whole body stung like it had been burnt.

Looking around, she realised she was in Gaius’ quarters, away from the main crisis room that had been set up for the bites. Elyan was sleeping with her hand in his, slumped over her. Merlin was lying on a bed across the room, asleep with Gwaine in the chair next to him, one hand on Merlin, the other on the hilt of his sword. There were books and vials on the table next to him, like he’d fallen asleep while working or more likely he’d been dragged away from it.

Gaius was missing, probably with the patients in the other hall.

She didn’t know why she was in there.

She shifted slightly and Elyan shot up, weary but awake. 

“Gwen! You're awake?”

“I...” her throat was sore but she cleared it with a cough and the small goblet of water her brother brought over.

“What happened?”

“There was poison, on some of the plates. Gaius had the antidote. He said you'd both be fine once you woke. You are fine, aren’t you?”

“Yea... yes. I'm tired and I feel weak, but I'm alright, I think.”

Their attention was drawn by a weak cry from the bed across the room. Merlin wasn’t awake, rather he seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare. 

She hated seeing her friend in pain. He didn’t deserve it.

Had she the energy, she would have been over with him, providing comfort or some form of support. Instead she was trapped by her exhaustion.

At least Gwaine was with him. 

“Did they catch them yet?”

“Not yet, but they have several suspects, I think. We will.”

“Is Gaius ok?”

“Yes, he’s with more patients. Once he confirmed you were both fine, he left to go back to help with the infection. Less people are being found bitten but it’s still a problem.”

“Are they closer with that either?”

“I’m not sure. Leon’s in charge, they’ll work it out.”

“How long was I unconscious? It's dark outside.”

“Only a few hours. The sun set not long before you woke.”

Eventually Merlin slipped back into peaceful sleep. Not long after that and much to her relief, he woke, pulling himself out of Gwaines arms and beck to his bench. 

She recovered quickly enough, able to stand and walk once she had eaten. 

They would be fine.

They were still filling her in on what Merlin was doing in on what had happened when the Warning Bell started chiming across the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter, but the drama, it begins.  
Hope you enjoyed.  
Please R+R.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
Here's the chapter.

Hefin had grown bored of waiting. 

Killing a few healers had been fun. Poisoning the servants in Arthur’s circle had been a fun idea.

But it had been reckless. It was easier for the guards to find him, to work out of he was guilty. He had to act fast if he wanted to get what he came for.

It had taken no effort at all to release and spook the horses. He set fire to the stables for good measure. He managed to start fights in two taverns and then he’d had to hide to avoid the guards. 

The tension had been building for a while. Fights were beginning to break out, even with the actions of the dammed healers.

Those were his next stops. The infirmary set up to help curb the outbreak and the Physicians Quarters.

Take out to healers, take out the people most likely to know what he was doing.

It was too easy.

The Warning Bells had started as he was approaching the infirmary but he didn’t enter by the front doors. He'd spent just over a year as a servant waiting for his orders, he knew the passages, the secret entrances. 

Once one tapestry went up, the rest of the room would follow. 

Their screams followed him as he made his way to his next target.

Then, the prize he was aiming for.

.

.

.

Leon burst into Gaius’ rooms, having to raise his sword to block Elyan’s strike.

“I’m sorry Leon. We heard the bells.”

“I know. And we need to get out of here. Arthur has asked me to get the four of you to the phoenix saferoom in the Citadel.”

“What’s happening?”

“Riots in the lower town. It's taking lots of effort to keep them out of the rest. The stables are on fire. Someone’s making a move.”

“Dear god.”

“We need to hurry.”

Elyan grabbed Gwen’s arm while Gwaine had to hold Merlin up. He was relieved to see them both looking so well, considering the last time he’d seen them before they’d been dying.

He wondered if Merlin would ever get a break. This last month had been awful for him.

“A saferoom? Shouldn't we be helping people.”

“Arthur wants you and Merlin safe. And Elyan and Gwaine need to protect you until this blows over. You two are being targeted by whoever is doing this. This isn’t the first attack.”

He let them go first, knowing they would know the way. He'd be with them anyway.

As they rounded the corner, he turned back to see someone coming. Hefin and another man.

Hefin who had a sword and a torch and a look in his eyes.

He motioned for them to go onwards and waited for Hefin, who entered Gaius’s chambers, cursed loudly and left. 

“Where the fuck could they be?”

“Don’t know. Come on, we still need to get what we came for.”

“He wants them dead, damnit.”

“We can kill them another time.”

Watching them leave again, without doing any damage to the room, he decided to re-join his allies. They could deal with the traitor soon after.

He led them into the centre of the Citadel, down into a hidden room that was hard to find and easy to guard.

Once they were inside Gwaine set Merlin down onto one of the seats. Gwen sunk down next to him. Both were pale and sweating just from the short trip they’d taken.

He pulled Gwaine and Elyan aside.

“I have to leave. Hefin is the traitor. He's came to Gaius’s to kill Gwen and Merlin.”

“Hefin? That makes no sense. He's had months to kill Arthur, why is he only doing this now?”

“Maybe he wants Merlin's job. With all this chaos, who would really question it?”

“It doesn’t matter. I'm going to find him. You two stay with Gwen and Merlin. Do not let them leave.”

Leon barely waited for a response before jogging back into the fray. He was reunited with Percival and Lancelot on his way out to the City, as well as Kay, Lamorak and Bors. They were all covered in ash and soot. 

“What the hell happened?"

“Someone set the triage alight. We barely got everyone out.”

“Whoever started these riots, they’re probably behind the fighting and all of this.”

“So, what do we do?”

“There’s fighting in the lower town. Maybe we should join the guards trying to stop it?”

“What about the fires? Someone needs to help keep them under control.”

Leon paused as he recalled the conversation he’d had with Merlin at the start of the epidemic.

_ “I suspect theft. There are a lot of important and expensive things in Camelot’s vaults.” _

_ “Theft? Surely this is too much.” _

_ “If you’re stealing something big, you make a large distraction.” _

_ “How do we stop it, this dressed?” _

_ “Drest. And fire.” _

Hefin had been headed in the direction of the vaults. Hefin had served them the poisoned food. Hefin had been on his way to Gaius’s. And coming from the direction of the triage.

“Damnit.”

“What?”

“Hefin did this. He'd headed for the vaults. Come on.”

Leon often felt cursed by the burden of being head knight. This was not one of those occasions. 

His men followed without question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed.  
Please R+R You fuel more writing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own.  
It's a short one, but we're nearly there.

Hefin took one look at the gem encrusted twisted metal thing and questioned whether this had been worth it.

Sure, the chaos was fun but his life was on the line and it just didn't look that impressive.

It was a diadem alright, with blue and green crystals, which was typical of his employer. On someone’s head it probably did look regal and official or whatever, but did his master truly want this. He couldn’t even wear it. It was clearly made for a queen or princess. 

If he wasn’t aware that it had cultural importance to his Master, he’d say it was all the gems on it. They'd be worth a fortune.

There were two side by side, and the other wasn’t why he was there, but it would surely please his master. It was made for men if nothing else.

It had red and orange stones that gave the impression of fire rather than water but other than that, it would surely be appreciated.

Both came so kindly in pre-made boxes.

Arevere sneered.

“These are what he wants? You're joking?”

“Hurry up. We have to go.”

“No, wait, I'm grabbing these.”

Arevere, his unlikely companion, would not have been is choice for a mission as important for this, but his Master's orders were his command and the Camelot must fall. 

With no-one to stop them, he closed the lids on both and paced them into his satchel.

“Halt, in the name of Camelot.”

Knights had such awful timing.

.

.

.

Leon opened his eyes to smoke. His body ached and moving felt a chore.

He'd been so prepared but they’d still been blindsided. How did two men beat six knights?

He blinked away the drowsiness and found Lancelot offering him a hand up. Percival was helping Bors to his feet and Kay was checking Lamorak but it was clear the latter was dead.

As was one of the two who had attacked them, not Hefin, but his accomplice.

One knight for one criminal, it was a rougher trade without the information he could have provided alive.

How many Knights had been killed that night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed.  
Please R+R.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, here we go.  
I don't own.

Merlin sighed as he walked into the lower town. The epidemic had cost them on herbs and they needed more.

“Merlin, wait.”

He spun around to face Arthur, who was jogging down the stairs.

“You’re not going alone. It's dangerous. Especially seeing as Hefin is still out there.”

“I’ve always gone on my own before.”

“And I shouldn’t have let you do that. Sir Ector is going with you. That’s final.”

With that Arthur turned on his heel and walked away. Sir Ector smiled in apology before turning towards the gates.

“So, what are we collecting?”

“Uhh, Hazel, nettles, yarrow, wormwood, monkshood.”

“I see. Not sure there’s much I can do to help but I'll be happy to keep watch.”

“Thanks. I'm sorry you have to do this.”

“It’s no problem. Really. Anything to get out of drills.”

They laughed as they left the city walls.

.

.

.

_ “You’re a traitor, as are all of your kind.” _

_ “How dare you? Your people cost my people everything. You betrayed us.” _

_ “Lies. You will die for what you are.” _

.

.

.

Elyan paced through the woods, careful to watch everything around him. He wasn’t the only Knight in the woods, but he couldn’t see any of his brethren. 

They were searching for Merlin, who should have been back yesterday.

Merlin who should have been protected by Sir Ector, who’s body had been found this morning on the ramparts, dead for over a day at least, according to Gaius. 

So, who had gone with Merlin?

They'd spent most of the night talking, they’d planned to find Merlin that very morning, to tell him what they remembered. They'd been so glad to tell him... to tell him they supported them, that he was at no risk from them.

That they didn’t care if he had... well... magic.

To thank him for what he’d done.

And Gauis had told them Merlin had failed to return.

By the time the bells rung to signal Ector’s body being found they were already preparing to leave the city.

Even if Merlin was who he was, there was no guarantee he would be safe.

Elyan froze, his eyes widening as he took in the scene in front of him. 

A massive fight had taken place, two trees had been felled, and in the centre, strewn across the grassy earth:

Merlin’s basket of herbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story.  
I'm not going to lie, the next one could be a while away, because it's currently the shell of a story rather than a story, but I hope to get it to you as soon as I can.  
Please R+R.


	14. Alone At Colthersea Preview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the preview for the next book, although it might be a while before you get it.  
Also, I don't own.

The doors swung open and Morgana strode into the Great Hall of  Colthersea Castle.

She was greeted by the sneers of the bandits, and the welcoming smirk of their warlock leader, crowned with a stunning  circlet that  shimmered like the surface of the sea. He looked every bit the king he was supposed to be.

“My Lady Morgana.”

“My Lord  Folant .”

King Folent stood and led her to the council rooms, away from the prying eyes of the  bandits . This was a  conversation of monarchs, and they were a means to an end.

“Leave us.” she instructed the guards.

“I don’t take orders from women, witch.”

“Leave us!” repeated  Folant , and this time they  obeyed .

“I am sorry, m’lady,” Folent apologized, “but those bandits are necessary muscle at the moment.”

And then Morgana watched as the King removed his ring, and the illusion  surrounding him dropped.

“My Lady Ffion, I must say I prefer you to your male counterpart.”

Queen Ffion responded with a laugh and a smile, “As do I, but these bandits won’t follow a queen, a king however, they will. Once we have our kingdoms, we won’t need to  pretend , we Queens will bring about freedom for our people.”

The  circlet that had been  king-sized was now both  stylised and sized for a queen. Her garbs had been rather simple yet elegant and even though they had barely changed, they were more fitted and stunning, flattering her muscles in a way that almost made Morgana jealous.

Queen Ffion was potentially going to be one of Morgana’s greatest allies. She was born a witch and specifically part of a group of  magical beings called  Hacualyans , who were in her opinion, reverse  dragon lords . Where  dragonlords were strongest in fire and air magic,  Hacualyans were strongest in water and earth magic. Where  dragonlords could survive within fire, heat or up in high  altitudes ,  Hacualyans could breathe water and navigate deep below the earth. Where  dragonlords were lanky and lean,  Hacualyans were stocky and built.

The  Dragonlords and  Hacualyans had been allies once, for a long time, but the purge had caused a breakdown in their relationship, or so she had gleaned from the restricted books and  Morgause’s teachings. Morgana didn’t know why, but she was sure she would be able to learn more if she asked.

“You know, Ffion, I heard some of your men wondering if all of your work was for a single crown. It is a beautiful crown, and the chaos in Camelot was entertaining, but what exactly was it for?”

“This is the crown of my family, of the royal family of my people. I am all that is left of us, and having this back alone is worth the effort so far. But more than that, it is proof. Proof Camelot was behind the destruction of our homes, and that the  Draconians were behind it.  Uthur was our ally, but he didn’t know where our hidden  kingdom was or how to get there. But the  Dragonlords and their people did. They  bargained our lives for theirs, and that Camelot had our relics proves that.”

“I thought  Uthur killed the  Dragonlords too.”

“No, he may have said he did, but that would be a lie. He let them live. I’m certain there are pockets of hidden communities with  Draconions , and I know at least one lives in secret in Camelot, free in exchange for protecting the King and prince. They have no dignity, serving Pendragons to stay  aliev , should have thrown themselves to the pyre and kept their honour. Then  again they are traitors to us. By  tonight I will have their leader in my prison, trapped where no one can get to him, but where he cannot escape. Once he is dead, the draconians will have no leader, Prince Arthur will have no protection and the kingdom will be yours. I will get  justice for my people, and we will build a new world where magic is free.”

“I had no idea. Magic users living in Camelot under  Uthurs protection, a whole community with leaders and all. But why not kill the leader, why wait for him to starve?”

“I cannot kill him, not personally. Our people had a serious alliance, and so we are unable to harm one another. Magic prevents it. I had hoped I could trick Arthur into killing him, because I know Arthur does not know of his father's allowance of magic users in his kingdom. As long, of course, as they don’t use their magic. If the Prince of Camelot executed the Prince of the Draconians, it would be war. We do need him dead though, no druid or magic clan will ally with us to attack another clan in this way, not while he lives, they hold him in too high a regard. Either way, I think a slow death will be suitable for him, he deserves it.”

“Who is he, this prince?”

“His first name is lost to us, his parents went into hiding and it was never announced, but he is of the line Ambrosius Aurelianus  Caledonensis . I have his crown,  it's almost a pity he will never use it, but I think it will make a nice trophy. I'd wanted to make him my slave, and make him wear the crown as he works, to demean and humiliate him, potentially  in front of his people but sadly it cannot be. One of my agents is picking him up and I will be sending him into the prison  immediately . I will not have the time. My goals are bigger than that. Our goals.”

“It is always sad to sacrifice things for the greater victory, but necessary, especially when you are a queen who had their kingdom stolen from them. I don’t recognise the name, and I knew most of the people who spent their time around Arthur.”

“That is the family name he used, at least not in Camelot, but he is close to Arthur. Has been since he came of age. His noble protector, following him on quests and making sure his precious prince lives through it all, perhaps if only because his people will die if Arthur does.”

No, she thought, it can’t be.

It wasn’t possible. It didn’t make sense.

But neither had the idea of magic communities, but they existed too.

He'd been under her and Arthur’s nose all alone, lying all that time.

It was almost impressive, if not a little annoying.

No wonder the druids had saved him, no wonder he’d survived the dragon, no wonder he’d survived everything thrown at them,  staying by Arthurs side all that time.

She just would never have expected him to be a prince.

“Of course, Ffion. I will ready my men and  leave you to prepare. Please, message me when he is dead and we are ready.”

She left the castle and made for her hut, ready to brief  Agravaine and her people. 

She wouldn’t mourn Sir Leon, although she would have rather liked to see Arthurs face when he found out the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.  
It will likely be a while before the next book comes out, because I want to completely rewrite most of what I had and I hadn't finished that. However, I wanted to give you a taste of the next book, and when the next comes out, I hope you read and enjoy that too. I will give you a notification and update when it does come out.  
Also I know theres quite a lot of world building here, but I hope it does in fact build the world.  
Please R+R.


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